“It seemed like they were dead-locked for a while, so I was a little shocked that it was in the middle of the night and I wasn’t happy that at five o’clock in the morning, they got to decide whether or not we were to go to school.”

Not everyone went to school.

“Not too many people showed up and I was really caught up at work, so I just took today off,” said Van Rauch, who’s a senior.

But, for staff members like Washington School’s Principal, Dan Rick, it was a happy reunion.

“Seeing kids coming up and hugging their teachers and teachers in tears, happy to be back,” said Rick. “It’s all about the kids and getting them back in and I know all our teachers feel the same way.”

The Dixon Education Association plans to ratify the new four-year contract on Monday and then the school board will have to approve that at its regularly-scheduled board meeting the following Wednesday.

As far as particulars of the agreement, the union said there are some raises included for teachers, who, at the same time, will have to pay out more for health insurance.